Who was Princess Beatrice’s bad boy ex Paolo Liuzzo – found dead aged 42? He dated the British royal when she was 17 and he was 24 – and had Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s approval
Princess Beatrice’s first boyfriend, Paolo Liuzzo, was found dead at the age of just 42 in a hotel in Miami earlier this year after a suspected overdose, as reported by Us Weekly.
Liuzzo was reportedly discovered at the CitizenM Worldcenter hotel in Miami on February 7, with his death being “investigated as an overdose” amid an ongoing inquiry, according to the Miami Police Department.
The funeral reportedly took place on February 16, according to British media. Liuzzo is said to have hailed from Long Island, New York.
According to Us Weekly, Beatrice is yet to make a public comment about Liuzzo’s death, but royal insiders told British media that she has been left “heartbroken”.
Here’s everything we know about the late Paolo Liuzzo:
Paolo Liuzzo worked as an art consultant
According to The Independent, Liuzzo was working as an art consultant and was believed to have been going through “significant personal struggles” which included substance abuse and gambling debts. A friend of the late Liuzzo also told British media that he “was not doing great on a personal level” and that “he loved to party and gamble”.
“He began using a lot of pharmaceutical drugs but that later led to cocaine and harder drugs. It was a very fast lifestyle and we all feared it would catch up with him eventually. He was always borrowing money to pay loans. It became a vicious cycle,” said the same friend.
5 of the world’s richest rugby players in 2024 – net worths, ranked
He was arrested on multiple occasions
Liuzzo had several run-ins with the law over the years. According to Us Weekly, this included being charged for the manslaughter of Jonathan R. Duchatellier, a then university student, after the two got into a physical fight.
Then in 2009 Liuzzo got arrested on Australia’s Gold Coast after crashing an US$80,000 Audi into a set of traffic lights, per News Australia.
When did Princess Beatrice and Paolo Liuzzo date?
Per the Independent, Liuzzo, who was the son of an Italian plastic resin tycoon, and Beatrice, the daughter of Sarah Ferguson and the now-disgraced Prince Andrew, dated in 2005 after meeting through mutual friends. According to the source, Beatrice was just 17 years old at the time, while Liuzzo was 24. He was reportedly invited by Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson for a family skiing holiday in Verbier.
Was Paolo Liuzzo Princess Beatrice’s first love?
Yes, according to various sources, it seems Liuzzo was Beatrice’s first proper relationship. The Telegraph reports that he was known as a “New York socialite” and initially seemed to make a good impression on her parents. Their relationship reportedly ended when it was revealed he had broken the conditions of his bail in the aforementioned manslaughter case, which was later downgraded to assault.
Meet Henry Cavill’s family – including his 4 lookalike brothers, and parents
What did Sarah Ferguson think of their relationship?
Per Us Weekly, Ferguson made a public statement in support of her daughter’s relationship, despite the age gap with Liuzzo. “We all have our own journeys and have to learn our way but Beatrice is a sensible girl, soon to be 18, with many friends, including Paolo,” she said at the time, per Us Weekly.
Who else has Princess Beatrice dated?
Who is James, Earl of Wessex, the low-key British royal spotted over Easter?
- Princess Beatrice’s first boyfriend, Paolo Liuzzo, was recently found dead in a Miami hotel at the age of 42 after a suspected overdose – so who was he exactly?
- The son of an Italian plastic resin tycoon, the Italian-American dated Beatrice in 2005 after meeting her through mutual friends, and even joined a royal family skiing holiday in Verbier